Last Friday night was a special night for the UConn Soccer Family. We hosted the 13th Annual Meet the Huskies Dinner at the Downtown Hartford Marriott. This is an evening where we honor the rich tradition of UConn Soccer by honoring former players, people who have done a lot for soccer both regionally and nationally, and colleagues who have gone above and beyond to promote UConn Soccer.

The dinner provides a great opportunity to mesh together UConn past and present and to pay homage to all those who have helped build our program. This year's honorees included: Bobby Rhine - Who was a two-time All AmericanCarlos Carlos - Started on the 1981 National Championship Team Herb Clark - His family has been a long time supporter of the program Chafik Rebai - Is actively involved with youth soccer in the state of Connecticut Warren Swanson - CT Soccer Hall of Famer - Honored for all his effort for soccer at all levels

Our guest speaker was Todd Durbin, The Executive Vice-President of Major League Soccer. Also in attendance was Hank Steinbrecher, who was the Secretary General of US Soccer and was one of the most influential people in persuading FIFA in bringing the World Cup the USA in 1994. Hank was a former player for Warren Swanson.

This year's dinner had over 400 people in attendance. Our team is introduced to the public that evening and it is a great opportunity for our student athletes to mingle with fans, donors and youth players. It also allows the public to see the other side of our players.

Next year's dinner promises to be a special one as we intend to honor the 2000 National Championship Team at the dinner. It will be exciting to have these players back, as they did so much for our program. We hope that you will consider attending.